Roxane was a nurse before chronic fatigue impeded her ability to work. She had to find other ways to make a living and find new work opportunities. Roxane was interested in photography and wanted to learn photo editing and graphic design.

A friend, who was a previous participant of Neil Squire’s Digital Jumpstart program, recommended that she join Digital Jumpstart.

Through Digital Jumpstart, Roxane received a laptop stand and learned to adjust her mouse and cursor size and make Accessibility changes.

Before participating in the program, Roxane shared that she didn’t know where to go or which direction to take. She now feels she has more purpose and direction in life. And it wasn’t just technical skills that she benefited from. She appreciated the instructor’s encouragement and support and enjoyed the confidence she built from accomplishing tasks. For example, learning a new operating system, reviewing Microsoft Office apps, and file management are all skills she needed to learn.

“Before I couldn’t see how I could do anything, but [the Digital Jumpstart program] helped motivate me and gave me something to look forward to,” Roxane says.

She also connected with The Ability Hub (new window) to navigate this time in her life and find new opportunities to change careers. Chronic fatigue causes difficulties getting through a four- or eight-hour shift and she required frequent rest and naps, which affected her everyday life and her ability to work.

Roxane learned new information that will make a difference in her life and future work. She learned she could work independently and would benefit from working from home at her own pace. Knowing she could accomplish and do more things improved her self-confidence and self-esteem, and she learned there are many opportunities and possibilities for her.

For now, Roxane plans to continue working on her computer skills and mastering photo editing. She now feels more hopeful for the future, and the future looks bright for Roxane.

This project is funded by the Government of Canada’s
Skills for Success Program